Looking at Mark Schemes, Examiners Reports & Tips on How to get a Level 7

Rules for Essays

Always...make links between the 3 levels of analysis (but spend at least 80% of your answer focused on the L of A in the question) Always...include examples of research evaluated (at least 5) Always ...make theoretical references...to the concepts / terms in the L of A in the Q Always...in every paragraph include your view / evaluation (not just in the conclusion) with evidence to support it Always answer the set question Always use terms from the question / deconstruct / unpack the Q / take the Q apart Always try & poke holes in the question question the question & try to show more than one position on the question Always try and make references to gender, cross-cultural differences & ethics in research

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Group 3 General performance criteria Grade 7 Demonstrates: conceptual awareness, insight, and knowledge and understanding which are evident in the skills of critical thinking; a high level of ability to provide answers which are fully developed, structured in a logical and coherent manner and illustrated with appropriate examples; a precise use of terminology which is specific to the subject; familiarity with the literature of the subject; the ability to analyse and evaluate evidence and to synthesize knowledge and concepts; awareness of alternative points of view and subjective and ideological biases, and the ability to come to reasonable, albeit tentative, conclusions; consistent evidence of critical reflective thinking; a high level of proficiency in analysing and evaluating data or problem solving.

Level 7 Psychology Essays (old syllabus) The demands of the Q are addresses effectively in a focused & logical structure Arguments & concepts are developed & there is evidence of psychological understanding supported by appropriate knowledge from the levels of analysis & indepth analysis Evaluation is clear, balanced & well developed The answer shows evidence of conceptual ability or a successful challenge to the assumptions implied in the Q Level 7 Psychology Essays (old syllabus) Assessment criteria A Knowledge and comprehension The answer demonstrates detailed, accurate knowledge and understanding relevant to the question, and... Uses relevant psychological research effectively in support of the response.

Assessment Criteria B Evidence of critical thinking: application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation The answer offers appropriate but limited evidence of critical thinking or offers evidence of critical thinking that is only implicitly linked to the requirements of the question The answer integrates relevant and explicit evidence of critical thinking in... response to / answering the set question Assessment Criteria C - Organisation The answer is well organized, well developed and focused on the question. Level 7 Psychology - SAQs The question is answered in a focused and effective manner and meets the demands of the command term. The response is supported by appropriate and accurate knowledge and understanding of research. XXX

TASK: Highlight which areas you need to work upon In paper one, spend 1 hour answering the three 8 mark Qs & 1 hour on the essay In paper two spend 1 hour per essay (2 for HL one per option, 1 for SL) Dont forget to turn over the pages of the exam paper to get to the Qs you can answer LtQ and mv in every paragraph (even the introduction) with your evaluation linked to the set Q as well focused and relevant the distinguishing factor for the strongest responses was the candidates ability to use their content knowledge to specifically answer the question Rather than writing everything known about a general topic, the highest marks went to responses that were more selective in what was written & always thoroughly justified why a specific study or theory was included in the response. That is, candidates explained how a particular bit of psychological knowledge related to the question. This was often aided by using the terms from the question throughout the response in order to remain focused. Candidates need practise in decoding / unpacking the meaning of Qs - so their answers do not turn into a list of general points about the level of analysis / research method / concept referred to in the Q Read each Q three times & underline the trigger words Make links between the levels of analysis e.g. compare & contrast (similarities & differences) When using a study you need to clearly present its aim, method and findings If the (8 mark) Q asks for one study only present one as any extra ones will not get you any extra marks Anecdotal material (from your everyday life / personal experiences) gains no marks Do not use personal opinion but rather arguments supported with psychological research &/or theory The command term in the Q to what extent requires candidates to consider the merits or otherwise of an argument

General Advice from the IBO examiners

 Produce an informed conclusion, with opinions and judgments presented clearly and supported with appropriate evidence and sound argument Research / Studies Answers omitting relevant research studies will not attract marks When writing about a piece of research, research method or level of analysis, the evaluation should illustrate a balance of advantageous and disadvantageous aspects When analysing the strengths & weaknesses of a research method you must make as many links as possible to the level of analysis in which the Q is set When presenting research studies candidates should focus more on info that is important to methodology (e.g. validity & reliability the Qs on page 24 of your Crane textbook), rather than just memorising the details of what happened during the procedure or providing an explanation of the findings. You have to be selective about what knowledge you offer (you do not gain mark for knowing a study inside out compared to being able to evaluate the study) Use studies effectively in your essay. Don't just describe studies but analyse them and evaluate their strengths/weaknesses, look at the methodology & pay attention to specifics details. It's not the quantity of studies you have but rather the quality of your analysis of the studies you do have & how you use them to support your essays. Someone who is able to outline what kind of study it was, what kind of design / method was used, the number of participants, what kinds of sampling was used, IV, DV etc, & then analyse the study based on this is more likely to score higher than someone who merely rattles off 20 studies but is unable to recall the important details. Many candidates do not appreciate the significance of the studies included evaluate the findings of every study Quite often candidates gave very detailed descriptions of research studies in their responses. The problem was that these descriptions were often too long and general. For the vast majority of questions a detailed, non-selective description of all aspects of the study (especially the procedural details) is not necessary For each piece of research explain why it answers the question, & evaluate its significance. In choosing any one specific research method that there will always be a pay-off or a disadvantage to their choice, e.g. the use of a survey will enable several hundreds of people to be sampled, but it will not result in the rich data that can be obtained from a handful of people who are interviewed. No method is perfect in itself, and frequently the choice of research method is a compromise, hopefully the most well chosen compromise.
Be very careful about stating (or even implying) that all members of any group behave

in a certain / similar way: e.g. men act like this...or the working class act like that...
Always think about whether they are cultural &/or gender differences in the

behaviour contained in the Q as well as thinking about what are the ethical implications of the issue / research Students must master the terms: basic principles (statements of belief about human behaviour), key concepts, methodology, & empirical research (vs. Theoretical ideas) Students should strive for academic writing though I is not forbidden, it does tend to lead students toward more anecdotal (personal) responses Introductory paragraphs should address the prompt. Many intros never address the topic. This usually means that the essay will lack focus. Often, the candidate simply begins the essay without an introduction, leaving the reader at a loss as to what the

essay will be about. Often there is no clear thesis stated in the introductory paragraph (your initial evaluative view / position about the Q) - nor is there a "strategy" set out for how you will justify that thesis Some candidates provided long introductory paragraphs that simply repeated the question & did not give tell about the lines of argument to be addressed in the essay. 2 part Qs students need to work on timing and the way that points are allotted to which part of the Q. Also read both parts before choosing such a type of Q (as you may not be able to do yourself justice to the second part of the Q). Candidates who had not thoroughly read or planned their responses before answering quite often repeated themselves in part b) of a parted question as they had not remained focused for the first part of the question. Evaluation means to look at the strengths & the limitations of a theory Theories are ideas about how something works Empirical studies are scientific research & are absolutely essential For many candidates description continues to be easier than analysis and evaluation. Many responses reflect that candidates have done a good job in memorizing relevant information but they are not confident enough to critically discuss this information. Candidates should not provide all details, but rather all relevant details to the Q Positive points about a study must be presented to achieve balanced evaluation The use of the term proved to describe empirical research findings suggested a lack of understanding of the nature of psychological research involving human participants Relevant material was often listed but it was left to the reader to make the connection with the requirements of the question Many scripts were descriptive, lacking the analysis & evaluation required Do not drift into the everything I know about the topic type of response, leaving the marker to attempt to connect the material to the question (they will not do it) More contemporary studies were also used by candidates, thus making their answer more current and relevant The paragraphing techniques used by some candidates made it difficult to follow their lines of argument & had detrimental effects on the structure & focus of their responses break up your paragraphs into one key point per paragraph Each word in the question is important and should lead the candidate towards a focused response. It is recommended that candidates practice unpacking sample questions and developing a plan on how to address the demands of the question The link between research studies and how the interpretation of results from such studies either support or refute theories is essential to a good answer Candidates need to ensure they identify the focus of a question, and explicitly address the command terms in addition to providing relevant content. The highest scoring essays were not necessarily the longest but rather those focused on the demands of the question as set. Time spent planning in the exam (including writing a plan for essays) will be more beneficial than that spent producing simple description of a wide range of material which might not be directly relevant to the question. Many candidates attempted evaluation in their answers but often it was of a general nature rather than specific to the topic: e.g., general evaluation points about psychoanalytic theory rather than the more specific evaluation of historical and cultural factors influencing the development of psychodynamic psychology Many essays are unbalanced. For example, when asked to compare, candidates should address both similarities & differences. It was most commonly found that only differences were addressed which limited the scope of the responses

Responses from candidates in some centres were a pleasure to read as they demonstrated in-depth knowledge and understanding of relevant material applied in a logically constructed answer focusing on the requirements of the set question